A common type of costume jewelry circlet that is, a bracelet or necklace, is formed of a continuous cord or string over which is positioned a tubular sleeve, which may be continuous or discontinuous, and which forms the decorative surface of the circlet. In the past, the sleeves have been made of a variety of materials, including cloth and plastic materials of various colors and surface textures.
Conventionally, the wearer of the jewelry purchases the particular color or texture desired for a particular appearance purpose. Thus, the wearer may have a number of different necklaces or bracelets to wear at different times in accordance with the particular clothing worn at the time. Usually, it is desirable to have an item of jewelry that is both distinctive in appearance and which attracts attention. The color of the jewelry, the image given by the jewelry, and the eye-catching qualities are very important in the decision to purchase a particular type of jewelry.
Various types of jewelry, necklaces, and related items, are made in a very complex fashion. Often the manufacture of such jewelry is expensive, tedious, and difficult. Rapid manufacture and assembly greatly reduces the cost of such jewelry. In addition, the manufacture of such items should ensure suitable quality and aesthetic appeal.
Various U.S. patents have issued in the past which have addressed various types of jewelry items somewhat related to the present invention. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,031, issued on Dec. 7, 1982, to H. Obermuller shows a multipartite item of jewelry which is used as a finger ring. This is formed of a plurality of sections which are flexibly connected to each other in order to form a closed series of curves. The sections are constructed as tubular pieces which are connected through an elastic element which extends within the tubular pieces. The elastic connections at the contact points between the sections form a series of curves. U.S. Pat. No. 2,738,616, issued on Mar. 20, 1956, describes a tube toy employing a series of flexible tubes which are translucent or completely transparent and which contain various colored liquids. Each of the tubes is joined at one end to make a ring or a loop. Generally, the tube is formed in a circular shape. The rings may be linked together so as to form a particular toy. The tubing receives a liquid which is clear, semi-opaque, or opaque. The liquid is described as having any of a number of unusual properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,086, issued on Jun. 28, 1988, to K. G. Schmidt, describes a costume jewelry circlet which is formed of an inner, string-like core having its opposite end connected together. A tubular sleeve is placed on the string-like core and extends around and substantially covers the full length of the core. The sleeve is interchangable with other sleeves which are formed either with different surface textures or colors or cross-sectional shapes. In this patent, it is suggested that the wearer of the costume jewelry may substitute one sleeve for another, as desired, in order to produce different visual effects due to the varying textures, colors, or shapes of the interchangable sleeves.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,398, issued on Sept. 19, 1978, to O. Orlandini describes a process of producing articles of jewelry. This process utilizes a plurality of hollow tubular elements, each made of a different color or having a different appearance. The tubular elements are inserted into each other in order to obtain a multi-layer composite tubular element having adjacent layers of different colors. The length of the tubular elements is cut to a desired length and formed for particular wearing purposes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive item of jewelry which can be bent in a variety of different configurations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tubular bendable item which is relatively easy to manufacture and inexpensive to produce.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bendable tubular item which creates a magnifying effect on the element found on the interior of the tubular item.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bendable tubular item that conveys a striking and pleasing aesthetic appearance.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.